Composite ship



c owlPoslTE sHylP. APPLICATION FILED DEC. I4, 19H.

Patented June 7, 1921.

LSSQQS,

[Nu/vrai?,

AT Ty.

OFFICE.

WILLIAM Bl ASIVIITH WHALEL OF IVIALDEN, IlIASSiM-IUSETTS,l ASSIGNOR TO AMERI- GAN WHALEY ENG-INE CO., OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS,

MASSACHUSETTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

A' CORPORATION OF COMPOSITE SHIP.

Patented June '7, 1921.

Application filed December 14', 1917. serialNo. 207,054.

and pertains more particularly to a hull or the like construction, having its particular application adapted especially to the construction of large ocean-going vessels( The invention consists essentiallyV of a mid-ship portion of standard steel shipconstruction, combined with and joinedto'fore and` aft bodies formed byconcretion by casting all portions thereof, including frames, keelsons, girders, beams, bulkheads, if desired, of concrete or other suitable and like material.

In order-to illustrate my invention, I have shown in theaccompanying drawing but a single embodiment thereof, wherein:

Figure l is a plan view of the upper deck portion of a vessel of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the main deck portion of the ship of my invention.' Y

F ig. 3 is a side elevationof Figsl and 2. Fig. t is an enlarged detail of ka portion of the joining portion of the steel structure of- In the drawing, 10 in its entirety represents the mid-ship portion of the stand- `ardized steel construction of a large vessel. Said mid-ship portion may have its ends terminate at any suitable `and convenient point best adapted to sustain the enormous flexure and other stresses set up by the vibration of the structure due to bearing strains caused by the wave action on the hull, so that the lengths of the concrete sections are reduced to 'a point where they can safely bear the hogging and sagging strains imposed on them. rlhe more flexible steel construction is best adapted to receive said strains and vibrations of the structure, and

a mid-ship portion of this character is therefore desirable and necessary.

' A large ocean-going ship built entirely of concrete could not, because of its extreme rigidity, be said to be suitable for the reason that the concrete would fracture or disintegrate somewhere centrally of the mid-ship portion of the' vessel.

By first making provision for Vthe construction of the hull ofthe mid-ship portion, the fore and aft portions of the body may now be suitably concreted thereto and joined to said hull in they most practical,

simple, efficient, safe and expedient manner. Herein, at each end of the said mid-ship portion I preferably provide the same with locking means, comprising extended, overlapping, staggered, or the like, concrete engaging and securing tongued members 11 or the like, adapted to be interlaced, intermeshed, interlocked or extended within the mass of both the fore and aft concreted hull sections. Said tongue members 11 may be Vof any suitable size,'c0niguration or shape best adapted for the purpose; as for example, one or more lines of transversely arranged tongues extending parallel to the plane of the said mid-ship portion for a distance bestrcalculated to produce the desired strength, rigidity and permanency of juncture. Also, I have shown a. second line of said tongue members l2 interiorly of the hull, overlapping and spaced from the said tongue members 11. Said tongues are herein shown as consisting of a group of parallel tapering spaced projections between which and around which the concreted mass may be placed. This applies also to additionalrows or groups of said tongues. .Secured to the interior faces of said tongues by welding,A riveting or otherwise permanently joining the same, are a series of reinforcing rods l5extending parallell with the plane of the hull of the mid-ship section or portion. Said rods may bevof any standard shape, configuration, or the like, generally or usually utilized for reinforcing concrete; such work when completed being known through the art generally as reinforced concrete work. Extending transversely to the said rods l'may be any or other reinfor ing rods, bars or the like 16 in proximity to or interlaced with the rods 15, or secured thereto in lany suitable or desired manner.

Up to this point I have described only a mid-ship hull portion and such reinforcing rods as may be secured to the said mid-ship portion orto the said tongue ll. After a suitable structure of reinforcing material has been built up, molds of the proper shape, design, size and configuration Will be erected about the fore and aft portions to conform to the design of said fore and aft portions. Said molds have provision of means for inner and outer Walls spaced one from the other in the usual Way to conform to the thickness or Walls of the said. hull. Concrete material of any desired and suitable character may, when in a. plastic state, be poured and tamped or forced between the said mold faces, filling the same and inclosing the reinforcing rods, structure or the like. When the said concretion material is poured between theV said molds, it will naturally shape itself thereto and to any and all tongue or other members that extend from the mid-ship portion and embedding` the reinforcing rods Withinthe mass of concrete as poured, rammed or tamped until the mold is completely filled. Said fore and aft sections are designated as 2O and 21, respectively, produced of composition portions extending beyond the point or area Where the Iiexnre or other stressesl are set up by the vibration of the structure due tobearing strains caused by Waves thereupon'.V

The Vterm hull construction is intended to Y mean all decks and the like cast in their original form, as an integral portion of the said fore and aft sections. Therefore, When completed said fore and aft sections appear to have tongues 23 coacting With the tongues ll, gripping the same securely thereto, thus to produce f practically an integral or unit form of hull having a middle portion or mid-shipportion of standard steel con-V struction. ll ribs, frames, keelsons, girders and beams may be included in any form or size in the said hull construction interiorly thereof to reinforce the same. The decks maydiave provision of means V`for hatches passing through either the steel midship portion or said foreandraft portions, or any other suitable combination that may be desired in the finished hull` structure. The deck surfacemay conform to any construction of free-board, deck plans or the like, desired thereupon. The mid-ship portion may include any and all forms of steel decks, cabins, bridge, or the like, as may be desired, according` to the class of service to Which the said vessel is intended.

Therefore, a vessel constructed as herein set forth, combines rigid concreted structures of standard concrete ship design with a. yielding flexible mid-ship portion designed and intended to take the bearing strains caused. by said Wave action. rllhe advantages of the all Vsteel ships are therefore combined with economic advantages of a concrete ship Y ocean travel;

and dispensing with the disadvantages, faults and the like found in both when each are constructed of a single material.

A great saving of steel Work, individual and detail workmanship upon portions of the vessel that require the greatest amount of steel to said Work is effected. Likewise, greater speed may be made in constructing a vessel of this type as contrasted with other steel vessels, and greater elieiency results therefrom than if the entire hull or vessel were built of concrete.

Also, it has been found to be absolutely impracticable to build a large ocean-going vessel or ship entirely of concrete throughout its hull on account of the great stress centering in the mid-ship section of the hull. rIhis has been the greatest obstacle in the construction of large concrete vessels, but it is not the case in small concrete vessels Where thesame have been found to be entirely practicable. The latter. are not employed for ocean-going purposes and thereforeare not subjected to the great and enormous amount of stresses and strainsv which would disintegratey the mid-ship portion of the hull. Therefore, my, invention has for its object a mid-ship hull portion of standard steel ship construction', suitably joined and interlocked in any manner or vform most desirable with a Vstandard composition ship construction, as for example, a conoreted vessel.

The fore and aft sections of such concreted vessel as set'forthherein maybe reinforced, in that said fore and aft'sections maybe considered as single, smaller concreted units with a flexible strain member intervened or interposed between they same and adapted vto take and sustain; all Wave, shock, loads and other stresses incident to rlherefore, the life of said fore and aft section is greatly prolonged, and the saine may be constructed lso as to withstand any usage to which the vessel of the class maybe employed.

I have described herein one embodiment of my invention, but it is to be understood that the Vlatter is not essentially limited `to the specific construction and organization of said embodiment, since the sameA maybe varied without departingV from theproper scope of the claims.'

Having thus described my invention in detail, What I claim as new is: Y

l. In a vessel of the character described, concrete fore andaft sections With a flexible middle Vbody or mid-ship' section of more flexible material interposed Ytherebetween and interlocked therewith. 2. In a vessel of the character described, a hull portion comprising concrete fore-and aft sections suitably interlocked with a stress and strain mid-ship sectionof a more flexible construction. A

3. In a. vessel of the charactery described, a mid-ship section of flexible construction provided with projecting portions adapted to be interlocked With concrete fore and aft sections. Y

4. In a vessel of the character described, a. steel mid-ship portion of standard ship construction having provision of means at each end thereof for securing thereto reinforcing and interlocked members adapted to be embedded into concreted fore and aft portions.

5. A :nid-ship portion of standard steel ship construction, combined With Vand joined to fore and aft bodies formed by concretion by casting the hull portions thereof of concrete material.

6. A mid-ship portion of standard steel ship construction combined With and joined to fore and aft bodies formed by concretion by casting the hull and other portions thereof of concrete material. l

7. In a vessel of the character described, a. standard steel mid-shipy portion secured to fore and aft Sections of concreted construction.

8. A hull comprising a middle body portion of steel construction and ends of reinforced concrete construction.

WILLIAM B. sMiTH WHALEY.

Witnesses:

REUBEN BROOKS, J. A.. GRANT. 

